


Stay

by larrylostboys



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, x factor - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-07
Updated: 2013-04-07
Packaged: 2017-12-07 17:38:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/751206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larrylostboys/pseuds/larrylostboys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Louis breaks up with Hannah to pursue his feelings for Harry and well. Chaos ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stay

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in the summer when I was still a massive 'carrot' so yeah that's pretty evident here byE

"Where are youu?" Harry singsonged as he skipped through the X-Factor house, searching for his best mate. He opened door after door, looking down hallways and sneaking around corners trying to find Louis, texting him to no avail.

"Lou-Lou," Harry teased, grinning despite the feeling beginning to creep in that something was wrong.

"Come out come out wherever you-" Harry stopped short, catching a glimpse of the older boy through the crack of a door he had yet to check. He bounded over to Louis, eager to talk with him or joke around or wrestle, if only because, secretly, all he wanted was to be in Louis' arms…one way or another.

(Not that he would ever admit to that.)

Louis was straight. He had a beautiful girlfriend, Hannah, who he loved very much. He was older, more matu- okay, maybe not more mature. The point was, even if Louis was even remotely interested in his gender, Harry knew that Louis would ever want someone like him. Not in a million years.

Louis was sat on a couch in front of the window, his body stiff. He had his knees pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped around himself.

Harry could feel the mood change as soon as he stepped into the room. He approached Louis slowly.

"Hey," he said, his voice had dropped to a soothing whisper, speaking slowly and cautiously as if he could break Louis by saying the wrong thing. "What is it, Lou?"

Louis whipped around, startled by Harry's sudden presence in the room. His red-rimmed eyes pouring quiet tears down his cheeks.

Harry had never seen Louis cry before, and it was heartbreaking. He felt his heart crumble in his chest as he took in the sight of the fragile boy: eyes glassy, nose red, chest heaving and struggling to take proper breaths, his whole body trembling.

"Harry." He breathed, trying to recollect himself. "Hey," he plastered a fake smile on his face but Harry only frowned.

"What's wrong, babe?" He cringed inwardly at his accidental use of an endearment, hoping Louis hadn't noticed. He pulled Louis across his lap, cradling his head. He gently brushed a hair out of his eyes, (knowing the older boy would accept these gestures as purely platonic) and waiting for his response.

"Oh just, feeling homesick," he started, avoiding Harry's worried eyes. "Haven't seen the girls' faces in a long time, you know how it goes."

Confusion flashed across the younger boy's face.

"Lou, we just Skyped them yesterday. Please, tell me what's really going on."

Louis sighed, running a hand through his hair and feeling defeated. "I don't wanna." He nuzzled his face into Harry's neck, finding comfort in his warmth.

The curly-haired boy sighed, knowing he wouldn't push Louis to find out what had happened. He rubbed a large hand up and down his best mate's back. It was the least he could do to try and calm Louis down.

They sat there for a few minutes in silence. As Harry felt Louis shaking again, he found himself barely resisting the strong urge he felt to lift his head up and kiss his tears away.

"I broke up with Hannah," he suddenly mumbled into Harry's chest.

Harry's eyes shot wide open. He prayed that Louis, with his head laying on his chest, couldn't feel the rapid beating of his heart, like all of a sudden it could jump out of his chest.

"Oh, did you? I'm so sorry Lou, that's awful, I can't believe this, you alright?" He rambled, running out of sympathies.

"Don't. Besides, I'm not upset over the fact that we broke up. it's been a long time coming." Louis crawled off of Harry's lap, choosing instead to sit next to him so they could better maintain eye contact.

Harry decided not to question the last statement, because no - it hadn't been a long time coming, Louis and Hannah had been perfect, no warning signs at all.

He took Louis' hand in his own, stroking it with his thumb as he awaited an explanation.

Louis sucked in a shaking breath. "It's why I broke up with her. I'm in love with-"

Louis seemed to cut himself off and backtrack before continuing.

"-Someone else." He broke eye contact with Harry, dropping his gaze to the floor. He felt himself tearing up again, wiping at his eyes. His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Someone that could never, ever love me back."

Harry placed two fingers under his chin, lifting his face and restoring eye contact.

"Louis, anyone would be crazy not to love you back. You're funny and charming and -" He stopped before he gave himself away. "Any girl would be lucky to have you."

Louis chuckled without a trace of humor.

"Funny, that…" he mumbled.

"I'm serious, Lou."

"It's not that simple."

"Help me understand, then."

Louis was shaking violently now, terrified of what he knew it was time to say.

"Harry Styles," he whispered, voice just barely audible. He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing a tear out and down his cheek. He inhaled deeply before continuing.  
"I'm…I'm in love with you."

Harry dropped Louis' hand, eyes wide open, and jerked away from Louis. He opened his mouth to say something, but his throat felt as if it had constricted - he couldn't make a sound. It felt like he had no air left in his lungs, like it had all been knocked out of him.

Louis paled as he realized what he had just admitted to.

"Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck. I knew it. I knew if I told you it would get all weird like this. And you'd be grossed out that I'm - that I think I might be gay…I know I've just ruined everything." He was openly sobbing now, running out of breath as his words caught up to him. Harry watching him the whole time. "I'm so - I should just - I'm so sorry H-Harry," He choked out the last of his words. "I'm so so sorry Harry. I understand if you'll never talk to me again, I do, I just - I'll go now."  
As soon as he turned to walk out, Harry shot himself off of the couch. "Wait!" he called, grabbing Louis by the wrist before he could reach the door.

When he had Louis' attention, he dropped his hand, shoving it nervously into his pocket instead.

"Um," He cleared his throat. "You, uh, y-you love me?"

Louis dropped his eyes, ashamed, and proceeded to walk out of the room, into his own.

He had barely managed to lock the door behind him before he could fall onto his bed, sobbing into his pillow.

Little did he know, across the hall, Harry was doing the same.

**

Louis woke up in darkness to the buzzing of his phone. He must have slept for quite a while. He sat up, searching for his phone.  
A tweet from Niall appeared on the bright screen.

“@NiallOfficial: @Louis_Tomlinson louis ring me.. harry told me somethin tday that u told him..TALK T ME”

Louis groaned, falling back into his pillow. He only had a minute or two of silence before there was a knock at his door.

He dragged his feet as he walked to unlock it.

Harry.

 

A feeling of dread washed over Louis, really not in the mood to hear whatever it was that Harry had to say right now.

"Harry, can this wait? I can't do this right now, please just -"

"No, Louis. This can't really wait."

Sighing, Louis let Harry in the small room. They sat in silence, Louis waiting for Harry's lecture and Harry unsure of where to begin.

He cleared his throat.

"Listen, I'm, uh, I'm really sorry for how I reacted today."

Louis was quick to respond to this, going off on a tangent.

"No Harry, I'm really sorry."

"Louis."

I shouldn't have expected you to say anything, I should have known that you wouldn't take it well."

"Louis!"

"Really, don't beat yourself up. I'm a big boy, I'll be fine. I shouldn't have said anything and-"

"LOUIS! God, shut the fuck up and listen to me for a minute, will you? Jesus!"

Louis shrunk, startled by Harry's outburst.

Harry cleared his throat once more.

"I was just scared in there."

Louis' face wrinkled in confusion.

"I've never really loved or been loved before, Louis, it's terrifying."

Louis nodded, a silent apology for making Harry feel so scared just by expressing his emotions.

"But I guess I'm just going to have to get used to that, to being afraid of being loved by someone…" he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "And…being scared of loving someone. I guess I'll have to get over that, too."

Louis shook his head, not really following any of Harry's nervous rant, none of his ramblings making any sense.

"What?"

Harry played with the bracelets around his wrist nervously.

"What I'm trying to say is…I'm crazy about you, Lou. I think - yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you, too…"

Louis' breath caught in his throat, disbelieving.

A million words raced through his mind but he could only manage one.

"Oh."

Harry laughed at this, his eyes shining bright with so many emotions.

"Oh," he repeated. "Yeah, that about sums it up."

"So, what did it for you?" Louis inquired, striking a pose. "Was it my rugged good looks? My boyish charm?"

Harry threw his head back and laughed, glad that Louis was finally able to take the serious edge off of the conversation. It's what Louis did best.

"Shut up!" Harry cried, throwing his face into the crook Louis' neck to hide his obnoxiously large smile, dimples and all.

"Hey," Louis smiled, looking down at Harry and carding a hand through his curls. "You never answered my question."

Harry looked up, his green eyes meeting Louis' shining blue.

"All of the above."

Louis' face softened, legitimately curious about Harry's feelings towards him.

"When?"

"When?"

"Yeah, when. When did you realize you loved me?"

Louis felt his heart swoop in his chest at his last words. Harry loved him. He was in love with him. That might take a while to process.

"I don't know, exactly."  
He pondered, staring up at the ceiling.

"Every time you looked at me I got chills. Every time you touched me my heart all but jumped out of my chest. I didn't really know what to call this, this, immense warmth I felt whenever the other boys were asleep and you and I stayed up talking, just the two of us. Or the way you'd get so worried and take care of me when I said I didn't feel well. I spent so long trying to understand what to call the way I felt about you. And then, one day, we were rehearsing.Your solo came up and our eyes locked…I felt my heart jump in my chest and I thought "Oh, maybe it's love."

Louis stared at Harry, he'd watched him through that whole speech, the way he squeezed his eyes as he recalled these memories, like he wanted to hold them tight and never let them go.

"Harry?"

"Mmm?"

"I think I'd really like to kiss you right now."

Harry smiled, sitting up to face Louis and place a gentle hand on the nape of his neck.

"I think I'd like that too."

So he did.

*fin*


End file.
